Removing Negative Reviews on Google
Google gives business owners the ability to “flag” negative customer reviews for removal. This is good news for local business owners like professional photographers who may have received an unfair review.
Here are the top 3 reasons copied from Google’s help page that explain which negative reviews can be flagged:
In other words, not every negative review will be removed. The negative review must violate Google policies. Google calls this “Prohibited and Restricted Content.” Read the full policy about what Google does not allow in a review.
For example, Google says you can flag a review to be removed from a competitor or a previous employee. You can flag a review that is obscene or contains a threat. But you cannot remove a review that you don’t like. Google doesn’t get involved when merchants and customers disagree about facts, since there’s no reliable way to discern who’s right about a particular customer experience. In those cases, you should post a response to the review.
If you believe a negative review about your business has violated Google’s Prohibited and Restricted Content policy, here’s what you can do:
- First, figure out whether the negative review was posted about your business or on Google Maps. If it was posted about your business, you’ll need to have a Google my Business page to find the original review and flag it. If it was in Google Maps, you’ll need to navigate to the actual review and flag it as inappropriate.
- Next, follow Google’s instructions for flagging a review. Here’s the link to the page.
- When you flag a review, in the notes it help to specifically mention which Google policy the review violates. For example, if the review was from a previous employee or a competitor, say so.
- Be patient. Google uses real people to check flagged reviews, so it can take several days for a review to be assessed.
Can I just flag a review I don’t like?
Sure you can, and there is a chance Google might accept it. However, customers are smart. If you only have glowing 5-star reviews, customers won’t trust you. It will look like you’re gaming the system.
What if a review you wrote about another business is flagged?
If a review you wrote has been flagged and removed or never published, you can fix it yourself. Edit your review to follow Google review policies — for example, you might have to remove a phone number or URL (or a threat!) from the review. If you correct the problem that resulted in the flag, your review will automatically be reconsidered.
Note that Google uses automated spam detection measures to remove reviews that are probably spam. Although legitimate reviews are sometimes inappropriately removed, these spam prevention measures help improve people’s experiences on Google by ensuring that the reviews they see are authentic, relevant, and useful. As shoppers, aren’t these the kind of reviews we want to read on Google?








